Michael Le Page
@mjflepage.bsky.social
Award-winning reporter at New Scientist who clings to the belief that good journalism mattters. I write about life on Earth, inc climate ☀️, food 🍱, CRISPR 🧬 and biomed 💊
My bio & stories: https://www.newscientist.com/author/michael-le-page
My bio & stories: https://www.newscientist.com/author/michael-le-page
Pinned
Michael Le Page
@mjflepage.bsky.social
· Oct 19
mRNA covid vaccines spark immune response that may aid cancer survival
An analysis of patient records suggests that mRNA covid-19 vaccines boost the immune response to cancerous tumours when given soon after people start a type of immunotherapy, extending their lives
www.newscientist.com
mRNA 🧬 vaccines - but not other kinds - trigger an innate response that can allow the immune system to 'see' and attack tumours, animal studies suggest 🧪
If true, the covid vaccines should do this - and now we have the first evidence this is so
www.newscientist.com/article/2500...
If true, the covid vaccines should do this - and now we have the first evidence this is so
www.newscientist.com/article/2500...
Reposted by Michael Le Page
Frikkin amazing stuff.
November 26, 2025 at 8:29 AM
Frikkin amazing stuff.
You can now watch #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge if you have Apple TV. Look out for the killer koalas!
I've watched all the episodes and highly recommend it. My main complaint - the bits at the end featuring the researchers talking the science are way too short!
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
I've watched all the episodes and highly recommend it. My main complaint - the bits at the end featuring the researchers talking the science are way too short!
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
Extinct animals in Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age make it a must-watch
From woolly mammoths to giant sloths, via some lesser-known ice-age beasts like 'killer koalas', the visuals in this documentary are simply astounding
www.newscientist.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:10 PM
You can now watch #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge if you have Apple TV. Look out for the killer koalas!
I've watched all the episodes and highly recommend it. My main complaint - the bits at the end featuring the researchers talking the science are way too short!
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
I've watched all the episodes and highly recommend it. My main complaint - the bits at the end featuring the researchers talking the science are way too short!
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
"The visuals are simply astounding. If I didn’t know the animals on screen were extinct, I’m not sure I’d be able to tell whether this is actual footage"
My review of #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge, out on Apple TV on Wednesday
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
My review of #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge, out on Apple TV on Wednesday
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
Extinct animals in Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age make it a must-watch
From woolly mammoths to giant sloths, via some lesser-known ice-age beasts like 'killer koalas', the visuals in this documentary are simply astounding
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:35 PM
"The visuals are simply astounding. If I didn’t know the animals on screen were extinct, I’m not sure I’d be able to tell whether this is actual footage"
My review of #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge, out on Apple TV on Wednesday
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
My review of #PrehistoricPlanetIceAge, out on Apple TV on Wednesday
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
I've long assumed that as global warming become more obvious and severe, leaders would come to their senses and ramp up climate action and preparation
But the opposite is happening - and I'm starting to fear that my assumption was naive and wildly wrong
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
But the opposite is happening - and I'm starting to fear that my assumption was naive and wildly wrong
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
Why is climate action stalling, not ramping up as Earth gets hotter?
As the impact of global warming becomes more obvious, you might expect countries to step up climate action and preparation, but we’re seeing the opposite happen
www.newscientist.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:23 PM
I've long assumed that as global warming become more obvious and severe, leaders would come to their senses and ramp up climate action and preparation
But the opposite is happening - and I'm starting to fear that my assumption was naive and wildly wrong
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
But the opposite is happening - and I'm starting to fear that my assumption was naive and wildly wrong
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
Madness
COP30’s biofuel gamble could cost the global food supply — and the planet
grist.org/food-and-agr...
grist.org/food-and-agr...
COP30’s biofuel gamble could cost the global food supply — and the planet
What was once considered a climate holy grail comes with serious tradeoffs. The world wants more of it anyway.
grist.org
November 23, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Madness
Reposted by Michael Le Page
Brexit has caused almost twice as much damage to the UK economy than estimated by official forecasts, according to new paper from a group of experts including a senior Bank of England economist
Brexit Hit to UK Economy Double Official Estimate, Study Finds
Brexit has caused almost twice as much damage to the UK economy than estimated by official forecasts, according to new paper from a group of experts including a senior Bank of England economist.
bloom.bg
November 21, 2025 at 9:30 AM
Brexit has caused almost twice as much damage to the UK economy than estimated by official forecasts, according to new paper from a group of experts including a senior Bank of England economist
I highly recommend the biography of Francis Crick by @matthewcobb.bsky.social if you want to know more about the man behind the myth, or are just interested in the history of molecular biology 🧪
I thought I knew a little about Crick, but it turns out I didn't
www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
I thought I knew a little about Crick, but it turns out I didn't
www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
Surprising new biography of Francis Crick unravels the story of DNA
Francis Crick's biography is full of surprises as author Matthew Cobb reveals the life and work of the co-discoverer of DNA's structure, finds Michael Le Page
www.newscientist.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:13 PM
I highly recommend the biography of Francis Crick by @matthewcobb.bsky.social if you want to know more about the man behind the myth, or are just interested in the history of molecular biology 🧪
I thought I knew a little about Crick, but it turns out I didn't
www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
I thought I knew a little about Crick, but it turns out I didn't
www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
A toxin made by a bacterium may trigger ulcerative colitis - a common form of inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD - by killing immune cells in the lining of the colon 🧪
If confirmed, this could lead to new treatments, including vaccines or phage therapies
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
If confirmed, this could lead to new treatments, including vaccines or phage therapies
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
Common type of inflammatory bowel disease linked to toxic bacteria
The discovery that a toxin made by bacteria found in dirty water might help trigger ulcerative colitis could lead to new treatments for this form of IBD
www.newscientist.com
November 21, 2025 at 12:18 PM
A toxin made by a bacterium may trigger ulcerative colitis - a common form of inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD - by killing immune cells in the lining of the colon 🧪
If confirmed, this could lead to new treatments, including vaccines or phage therapies
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
If confirmed, this could lead to new treatments, including vaccines or phage therapies
www.newscientist.com/article/2505...
Reposted by Michael Le Page
The discovery that a toxin made by bacteria found in dirty water might help trigger ulcerative colitis could lead to new treatments for this form of IBD
Common type of inflammatory bowel disease linked to toxic bacteria
The discovery that a toxin made by bacteria found in dirty water might help trigger ulcerative colitis could lead to new treatments for this form of IBD
www.newscientist.com
November 20, 2025 at 10:16 PM
The discovery that a toxin made by bacteria found in dirty water might help trigger ulcerative colitis could lead to new treatments for this form of IBD
Reposted by Michael Le Page
"If you resort to mentioning Hitler, some say, you have lost the argument. If you resort to sequencing Hitler’s DNA to try to get more eyeballs for your TV channel, I would say you have just plain lost it" 🧪
My view of the TV documentary on Hitler's DNA:
www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
My view of the TV documentary on Hitler's DNA:
www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
Sequencing Hitler's genome teaches us nothing useful about his crimes
To understand Adolf Hitler, we need to look at his personal life and the wider societal and historical context - analysing his DNA for a TV gimmick tells us nothing, says Michael Le Page
www.newscientist.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:20 AM
"If you resort to mentioning Hitler, some say, you have lost the argument. If you resort to sequencing Hitler’s DNA to try to get more eyeballs for your TV channel, I would say you have just plain lost it" 🧪
My view of the TV documentary on Hitler's DNA:
www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
My view of the TV documentary on Hitler's DNA:
www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
Reposted by Michael Le Page
Also on this episode of the podcast, @mjflepage.bsky.social and I talk about our worries around genetic determinism open.spotify.com/episode/16HS...
Why the claims about Hitler’s genome are misleading
Spotify video
open.spotify.com
November 13, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Also on this episode of the podcast, @mjflepage.bsky.social and I talk about our worries around genetic determinism open.spotify.com/episode/16HS...
Reposted by Michael Le Page
I interviewed geneticist Turi King and historian of Nazi Germany Alex Kay about the documentary, "Hitler's DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator" and I started by saying we don't call DNA a blueprint...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XXB...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XXB...
What Science REALLY Says About Hitler’s Genome
YouTube video by New Scientist
www.youtube.com
November 13, 2025 at 4:58 PM
I interviewed geneticist Turi King and historian of Nazi Germany Alex Kay about the documentary, "Hitler's DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator" and I started by saying we don't call DNA a blueprint...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XXB...
www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XXB...
Reposted by Michael Le Page
To understand Adolf Hitler, we need to look at his personal life and the wider societal and historical context - analysing his DNA for a TV gimmick tells us nothing, says Michael Le Page
Analysing Hitler's DNA for a TV gimmick tells us nothing useful
To understand Adolf Hitler, we need to look at his personal life and the wider societal and historical context - analysing his DNA for a TV gimmick tells us nothing, says Michael Le Page
www.newscientist.com
November 13, 2025 at 1:44 PM
To understand Adolf Hitler, we need to look at his personal life and the wider societal and historical context - analysing his DNA for a TV gimmick tells us nothing, says Michael Le Page
Reposted by Michael Le Page
Instead of watching the documentary, read this by @mjflepage.bsky.social on Hitler's DNA
www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
Sequencing Hitler's genome teaches us nothing useful about his crimes
To understand Adolf Hitler, we need to look at his personal life and the wider societal and historical context - analysing his DNA for a TV gimmick tells us nothing, says Michael Le Page
www.newscientist.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:33 AM
Instead of watching the documentary, read this by @mjflepage.bsky.social on Hitler's DNA
www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
Reposted by Michael Le Page
“There is no need to look to genes to explain why many individuals try to become dictators – the far more pressing question is why we let them.” The argument against sequencing Hitler’s DNA for a TV documentary. @mjflepage.bsky.social www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
Sequencing Hitler's genome teaches us nothing useful about his crimes
To understand Adolf Hitler, we need to look at his personal life and the wider societal and historical context - analysing his DNA for a TV gimmick tells us nothing, says Michael Le Page
www.newscientist.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:38 AM
“There is no need to look to genes to explain why many individuals try to become dictators – the far more pressing question is why we let them.” The argument against sequencing Hitler’s DNA for a TV documentary. @mjflepage.bsky.social www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
"If you resort to mentioning Hitler, some say, you have lost the argument. If you resort to sequencing Hitler’s DNA to try to get more eyeballs for your TV channel, I would say you have just plain lost it" 🧪
My view of the TV documentary on Hitler's DNA:
www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
My view of the TV documentary on Hitler's DNA:
www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
Sequencing Hitler's genome teaches us nothing useful about his crimes
To understand Adolf Hitler, we need to look at his personal life and the wider societal and historical context - analysing his DNA for a TV gimmick tells us nothing, says Michael Le Page
www.newscientist.com
November 13, 2025 at 11:20 AM
"If you resort to mentioning Hitler, some say, you have lost the argument. If you resort to sequencing Hitler’s DNA to try to get more eyeballs for your TV channel, I would say you have just plain lost it" 🧪
My view of the TV documentary on Hitler's DNA:
www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
My view of the TV documentary on Hitler's DNA:
www.newscientist.com/article/2504...
Thing about Iceland’s forests is that they were & are a bit different to those elsewhere. The joke goes, what do you do if lost in an Icelandic forest? Stand up!
Biochemical evidence suggests Norse people settled in Iceland almost 70 years before the accepted arrival date of the 870s, and didn't chop down the island's forests
Ancient DNA may rewrite the story of Iceland's earliest settlers
Biochemical evidence suggests Norse people settled in Iceland almost 70 years before the accepted arrival date of the 870s, and didn't chop down the island's forests
www.newscientist.com
November 8, 2025 at 9:21 PM
Thing about Iceland’s forests is that they were & are a bit different to those elsewhere. The joke goes, what do you do if lost in an Icelandic forest? Stand up!
Have you ever used one of those calculators that tell you how much CO2 🔥 you'll generate flying 🛩️ somewhere? 🧪
Well, the bad news is that existing flight calculators wildly underestimate the true impact, according to a team at @uniofsurrey.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/article/2502...
Well, the bad news is that existing flight calculators wildly underestimate the true impact, according to a team at @uniofsurrey.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/article/2502...
Your flight emissions are way higher than carbon calculators suggest
Existing tools that work out the carbon footprint of flights greatly underestimate their warming impact, say the makers of a new calculator
www.newscientist.com
October 31, 2025 at 2:49 PM
Have you ever used one of those calculators that tell you how much CO2 🔥 you'll generate flying 🛩️ somewhere? 🧪
Well, the bad news is that existing flight calculators wildly underestimate the true impact, according to a team at @uniofsurrey.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/article/2502...
Well, the bad news is that existing flight calculators wildly underestimate the true impact, according to a team at @uniofsurrey.bsky.social
www.newscientist.com/article/2502...
Reposted by Michael Le Page
New Scientist is looking for a new features editor, ideally with a specialism in evolution, ecology, human sciences and biology - if there's you, take a look! www.dmgmedia.co.uk/careers/jobs...
Features Editor (beat specialist) - dmg media
Features Editor (beat specialist) Location: New Scientist Headquarters – London Position: Full-time, permanent Salary: £40,000 to £43,000, depending on experience Workplace Type: Hybrid – 3 days ...
www.dmgmedia.co.uk
October 30, 2025 at 11:47 AM
New Scientist is looking for a new features editor, ideally with a specialism in evolution, ecology, human sciences and biology - if there's you, take a look! www.dmgmedia.co.uk/careers/jobs...
Reposted by Michael Le Page
Where are we on climate action?
The bottom black line is countries that submitted new commitments (on time), the dotted line is global emissions. Blue shading are the commitments.
That is the progress 10 years after Paris...
unfccc.int/process-and-...
The bottom black line is countries that submitted new commitments (on time), the dotted line is global emissions. Blue shading are the commitments.
That is the progress 10 years after Paris...
unfccc.int/process-and-...
October 30, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Where are we on climate action?
The bottom black line is countries that submitted new commitments (on time), the dotted line is global emissions. Blue shading are the commitments.
That is the progress 10 years after Paris...
unfccc.int/process-and-...
The bottom black line is countries that submitted new commitments (on time), the dotted line is global emissions. Blue shading are the commitments.
That is the progress 10 years after Paris...
unfccc.int/process-and-...
It's horrifying to see #Melissa intensifying right up to landfall - I dread to think what will happen in Jamaica, with up to a metre of rain forecast 🧪
But it's clear why Melissa is so powerful - it was fuelled by waters made abnormally warm by global heating:
www.newscientist.com/article/2501...
But it's clear why Melissa is so powerful - it was fuelled by waters made abnormally warm by global heating:
www.newscientist.com/article/2501...
Hurricane Melissa is being fuelled by exceptional ocean heat
The monster hurricane pummelling Jamaica is powered by abnormal sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean, which were made at least 500 times more likely by global warming
www.newscientist.com
October 28, 2025 at 3:58 PM
It's horrifying to see #Melissa intensifying right up to landfall - I dread to think what will happen in Jamaica, with up to a metre of rain forecast 🧪
But it's clear why Melissa is so powerful - it was fuelled by waters made abnormally warm by global heating:
www.newscientist.com/article/2501...
But it's clear why Melissa is so powerful - it was fuelled by waters made abnormally warm by global heating:
www.newscientist.com/article/2501...
Reposted by Michael Le Page
4 days of seismic records from a seismic station in Jamaica shows Hurricane Melissa roaring towards the island.
Hurricanes increase the amplitude of ocean waves which beat on the coast and sea floor. These produce Rayleigh waves that can be seen as increasingly thick “wiggles” in seismic records 🧪
Hurricanes increase the amplitude of ocean waves which beat on the coast and sea floor. These produce Rayleigh waves that can be seen as increasingly thick “wiggles” in seismic records 🧪
October 28, 2025 at 1:24 PM
4 days of seismic records from a seismic station in Jamaica shows Hurricane Melissa roaring towards the island.
Hurricanes increase the amplitude of ocean waves which beat on the coast and sea floor. These produce Rayleigh waves that can be seen as increasingly thick “wiggles” in seismic records 🧪
Hurricanes increase the amplitude of ocean waves which beat on the coast and sea floor. These produce Rayleigh waves that can be seen as increasingly thick “wiggles” in seismic records 🧪
Reposted by Michael Le Page
“We’ve missed 1.5”: In the podcast this week we discuss the facts that (a) Paris saved us from the worst of global heating and (b) that it’s been clear for a long time that we’d miss 1.5 degrees.
📺🎧:
podfollow.com/the-world-th...
📺🎧:
podfollow.com/the-world-th...
The world, the universe and us
From the evolution of intelligent life, to the mysteries of consciousness; from the threat of the climate crisis to the search for dark matter, The world, the universe and us is your essential weekly ...
podfollow.com
October 28, 2025 at 7:42 AM
“We’ve missed 1.5”: In the podcast this week we discuss the facts that (a) Paris saved us from the worst of global heating and (b) that it’s been clear for a long time that we’d miss 1.5 degrees.
📺🎧:
podfollow.com/the-world-th...
📺🎧:
podfollow.com/the-world-th...
Reposted by Michael Le Page
New podcast:
💉mRNA vaccines help your body fight cancer
🤬State of Climate Action report sounds red alert
🦜New explanation for the dawn chorus
open.spotify.com/episode/4ODd... with @pennysarchet.bsky.social and @mjflepage.bsky.social plus Clea Schumer and Sophie Boehm of @worldresources.bsky.social
💉mRNA vaccines help your body fight cancer
🤬State of Climate Action report sounds red alert
🦜New explanation for the dawn chorus
open.spotify.com/episode/4ODd... with @pennysarchet.bsky.social and @mjflepage.bsky.social plus Clea Schumer and Sophie Boehm of @worldresources.bsky.social
How mRNA vaccines teach your body to kill cancer; Grim state of climate action; Why birds sing the dawn chorus
Spotify video
open.spotify.com
October 24, 2025 at 12:30 PM
New podcast:
💉mRNA vaccines help your body fight cancer
🤬State of Climate Action report sounds red alert
🦜New explanation for the dawn chorus
open.spotify.com/episode/4ODd... with @pennysarchet.bsky.social and @mjflepage.bsky.social plus Clea Schumer and Sophie Boehm of @worldresources.bsky.social
💉mRNA vaccines help your body fight cancer
🤬State of Climate Action report sounds red alert
🦜New explanation for the dawn chorus
open.spotify.com/episode/4ODd... with @pennysarchet.bsky.social and @mjflepage.bsky.social plus Clea Schumer and Sophie Boehm of @worldresources.bsky.social
Immune cells engineered 🧬 to target cancerous cells, called CAR T cells, work really well against blood cancers like leukaemia, but they don't do much against solid tumours, that is, for most cancers 🧪
Now promising animal results suggest this could soon change
www.newscientist.com/article/2501...
Now promising animal results suggest this could soon change
www.newscientist.com/article/2501...
'Weaponised' CAR T-cell therapy shows promise against solid tumours
So far, immune cells that have been engineered to kill cancers, known as CAR T-cells, haven’t worked well against solid cancers - but a study in mice suggests that could soon change
www.newscientist.com
October 23, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Immune cells engineered 🧬 to target cancerous cells, called CAR T cells, work really well against blood cancers like leukaemia, but they don't do much against solid tumours, that is, for most cancers 🧪
Now promising animal results suggest this could soon change
www.newscientist.com/article/2501...
Now promising animal results suggest this could soon change
www.newscientist.com/article/2501...